Best Way To Fight Mugger: Don't

May 15, 1985

The key to avoiding a mugging, said Sgt. Paul Huffman of the Orlando Police Department, is using street sense -- the same sort of street sense a woman uses to avoid rape.

''Unfortunately,'' he said, ''a lot of people lead sheltered lives, and they don't have a lot of street sense. It's helpful to know which areas are the seedy areas of a city. Pay attention around you. It's a lot like defensive driving -- leave yourself an out.''

Someone who is attacked, Huffman said, should be calm and try to observe as much as he or she can.

''Try to get a good picture of the person's face, height, weight. Call the police immediately. There will be units responding and looking for the fellow. Try to stay in the same area. Don't escalate the situation, especially if he has a deadly weapon. Chances are, you're going to get hurt.''

Huffman said that buying a gun, a can of Mace or a stun-gun is not a good idea. Most people don't know how to use firearms correctly, he said, and many anti-attack mechanisms simply don't work.

''I've seen situations where Mace-type products do nothing but aggravate a person,'' he said. ''Frankly, I think you're better off screaming 'Fire.' ''